wilderness

wilderness — noun

1. a natural region where towns, roads, and farms have not been built and where ver

1.nounB1
Definition

a natural region where towns, roads, and farms have not been built and where very few people live

Example

The hikers spent three days walking through the Alaskan wilderness without seeing another person.

collocation: walk through / Alaskan wilderness

Large parts of northern Canada remain a frozen wilderness with no roads or towns.

collocation: frozen wilderness

Common collocations
  • vast wilderness
  • remote wilderness
  • untouched wilderness
  • walk through the wilderness
  • wilderness area
  • protected wilderness
  • frozen wilderness
  • survive in the wilderness
Synonyms
  • wilds

    more poetic, suggests remote and dangerous country

  • backcountry

    focuses on remoteness from towns, often used for hiking areas

  • wasteland

    negative tone; suggests barren or damaged land rather than natural beauty

  • bushland

    mainly Australian/New Zealand usage; refers to scrubby natural areas

Antonyms
  • city

    the built-up human environment opposite to wilderness

  • urban area

    developed land with buildings and infrastructure

  • farmland

    land cultivated for crops or livestock

Grammar Patterns

the wilderness

a vast wilderness

wilderness + area/region

Usage Note

Usually uncountable. Can be used as a countable noun when referring to a specific area (e.g., 'a vast wilderness of snow and ice'). The word often carries a sense of respect for nature's power rather than simply meaning 'empty land.'

Common Mistakes

We got lost in the desert with no trees for miles.
We got lost in the wilderness with no trees for miles.
A desert is a specific dry, sandy ecosystem; wilderness can describe any undeveloped natural area including forests, mountains, or tundra.

2. a section of a garden or yard where plants grow thickly without being trimmed or

2.nounB2
Definition

a section of a garden or yard where plants grow thickly without being trimmed or controlled, sometimes left that way on purpose for a natural look

Example

At the back of the garden, a small wilderness of wildflowers and ferns grew freely.

pattern: a wilderness of + plants

The old house sat in a wilderness of tall grass and tangled bushes left uncut.

Common collocations
  • a wilderness of weeds
  • a wilderness of bushes
  • overgrown wilderness
  • turn into a wilderness
  • left as a wilderness
Synonyms
  • wild garden

    more deliberate, suggests intentional natural planting

  • overgrowth

    implies neglect rather than deliberate choice

  • thicket

    focuses on dense woody plants rather than general plant growth

  • tangle

    emphasises the messy, intertwined quality of the plants

Antonyms
  • lawn

    trimmed, open grassy area

  • flower bed

    cultivated, organised planting area

Grammar Patterns

a wilderness of + plants

wilderness area (in a garden)

Usage Note

This sense is much more common in British English gardening contexts than in American English. In the US, gardeners typically say 'wild garden' or 'native plant area' instead.

3. a large and confusing collection of different things that is difficult to unders

3.nounC1
Definition

a large and confusing collection of different things that is difficult to understand or find your way through

Example

The old town market was a wilderness of stalls selling spices, fabrics, and jewellery.

pattern: a wilderness of + nouns

New parents often feel lost in a wilderness of advice from friends, books, and websites.

Common collocations
  • a wilderness of data
  • a wilderness of rules
  • a wilderness of options
  • feel lost in a wilderness of
Synonyms
  • jumble

    less formal; suggests a physical mess more than confusion

  • maze

    emphasises the difficulty of finding a path through the information

  • confusion

    directly names the mental state rather than the collection itself

Antonyms
  • order

    clear, organised arrangement

  • system

    structured method or framework

Grammar Patterns

a wilderness of + plural noun

Usage Note

Always takes the form 'a wilderness of [plural things]' and is almost always singular. The phrase is metaphorical — the things themselves are not wild, but their sheer number and lack of order creates a feeling similar to being lost in nature.

Common Mistakes

The library was a wilderness of book.
The library was a wilderness of books.
The noun after 'a wilderness of' must be plural.

4. the situation of a person or group that has lost its former importance or influe

4.nounC1
Definition

the situation of a person or group that has lost its former importance or influence, especially after having held power or public attention

Example

After losing the election, the former senator spent years in the political wilderness.

collocation: in the political wilderness

The opposition party was in the wilderness for a decade before returning to power.

Common collocations
  • the political wilderness
  • in the wilderness
  • into the wilderness
  • out of the wilderness
  • years in the wilderness
  • send someone into the wilderness
Synonyms
  • obscurity

    broader; can apply to any loss of public attention, not just politics

  • exile

    stronger; suggests forced removal rather than simple loss of influence

  • limbo

    focuses on the uncertainty and inactivity of the period

Antonyms
  • power

    the state of having authority and influence

  • prominence

    public visibility and importance

Grammar Patterns

in the wilderness

into the wilderness

out of the wilderness

the political wilderness

Usage Note

Almost always appears in fixed phrases with 'the': 'in the wilderness,' 'into the wilderness,' 'out of the wilderness.' The article is required even though 'wilderness' here is abstract. This sense is most common in political journalism but can extend to any field (e.g., 'the band spent years in the wilderness before their comeback album').

Common Mistakes

The minister was sent to wilderness.
The minister was sent into the wilderness.
Always include 'the' and use 'into' (or 'in') rather than 'to.'

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms describe undeveloped natural land, but they differ in tone and scope. Wilderness is the broadest and most neutral term — it can describe any large, uncultivated area from Arctic tundra to tropical jungle, and often carries a positive sense of natural beauty and value. Wasteland, by contrast, has a strongly negative tone: it suggests land that is barren, damaged, or useless, whether from drought, pollution, or poor soil. The wilds (always plural, and usually 'the wilds of + place') is a more literary term that emphasises remoteness and danger — for instance, 'the wilds of Scotland' suggests rugged, sparsely populated country. Backcountry is a more practical, outdoor-recreation term used mainly in North America, referring to areas far from roads that are accessible only by hiking or on foot. A hiker plans a backcountry trip; a conservationist protects a wilderness area; a farmer laments a wasteland of dry earth; a novelist sets a story in the wilds of an unfamiliar region.

wilderness ↗wasteland ↗wildsbackcountry

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a wilderness of
  • the political wilderness

Prepositions

  • in the wilderness
  • into the wilderness
  • out of the wilderness
  • through the wilderness

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Wilderness entered English from Old English wildeornes, a compound of wildēor ('wild animal' or 'wild beast') plus the suffix -nes ('state, condition'). The original meaning was therefore 'the state or land of wild animals' — a place where beasts roam freely rather than where humans farm or live. Over time the focus shifted from animals to land itself, and the word came to mean any large area untouched by human development. The metaphorical senses (a confusing collection, a period of political obscurity) developed later, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, drawing on the idea of being lost or wandering without direction.